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View From My Island: The Grand Outing Of The Kitchen |
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When I was growing up as a child in the sixties, kitchens were
always a hidden affair. If it was not separated by a wall from
the other rooms in the house, then a divider had to be installed
to hide it from the rest of the world. Inviting friends over to
the kitchen to show off your new kitchen island or cooktop was
not the thing to be done.
But not anymore. The kitchen of my adult years has now become
the focal point of the house and the people who live in it.
There is still the obligatory lounge room to receive guests but
it is now just a little room on the way to the grand, open space
of kitchen, family and rumpus rooms combined.
This is where most families now gather after a long days work -
the parents preparing the family meal while the children (if
they are in their schoolyears) do their homework in the family
dining table or (if they are already young adults), sit and
chatter around the breakfast nook or family room couch. Kitchens
now exude warmth and welcome helped by the oak or teak
oil-finished kitchen cabinets that usually line the kitchen
walls, as well as mahogany or red cedar curio cabinets housing
revered family treasures such as photos and bowling trophies.
I have long used my kitchen as my lounge - one of the rooms in
the house that I consider most comfortable, functional, tribal
and welcoming . My husband and I and |
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anyone of my kids who
occasionally fancy themselves as the new Jamie Oliver can
showcase our gourmet talents as we gracefully move around the
red and brown speckled granite kitchen island or benchtop to the
glistening stainless steel sink to the brown flattened glow of
the ceramic cooktop. All these in view of the rest of the
family, and often times friends and guests who we show in
straight to the kitchen/family/dining room area to sit in our
beloved dark aubergine brown no-nonsense, yet sumptuous and very
practical "Virginia" sofa.
Gone are the days when you felt you needed to detain your guests
in the comfort of the Italian velvet sofa in the lounge while
you excuse yourself and slave away in the dark, hot and steamy
recesses of the kitchen preparing their food. Now there is no
shame or cringe to invite friends over to the kitchen because
kitchens have become the hub of family life and social
entertaining. Architects, home builders and appliance
manufacturers have all taken heed of the new trend and have made
kitchens not only functional and efficient but also
overwhelmingly stylish. Even whitegoods now come in different
colors of stainless steel, earthy brown, luminous orange or
buttercup yellow to suit everyone's desire and taste.
Friends are invited to hover around stylish marble-topped
kitchen islands as they continue with their socialising, |
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Untitled Document
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A growing number of designers are applying their skills and entrepreneurial zeal to empower the billions of people who lack basic products and services.
CHONGQING, China, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Country Style Cooking Restaurant Chain Co., Ltd. (NYSE: CCSC) ("Country Style Cooking" or the "Company"), a fast-growing quick service ...
A neophyte learns to cook Italian dishes at a couples’ class run by a no-nonsense teacher, Vicki J. Caparulo, at the Institute of Culinary Education.
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